LOGAN, Utah — A former Utah State University football player accused of rape will see the case go to trial next year after several delays due to COVID-19 restrictions, according to Cache Valley Daily.com.
Lamar A. Dawson, 25, was first charged in 2019, and will have his day in court in March, 2022 after a plea bargain could not be reached.
According to the complaint, the victim met Dawson on a social media app and began a friendship that lasted several months.
But she alleges that when he came to her apartment on Valentine's Day in 2019 to return a speaker, he raped her in her bedroom, according to the Cache Valley.com report.
She admits to being very intoxicated and that she can only remember portions of the night, but says that after kissing Dawson and watching TV together, the next thing she remembered is that she awoke to him raping her.
Dawson first denied having sex with the victim, but later admitted it, claiming it was consensual and that he feared that the victim was trying to "pin something" on him.
Dawson has pleaded “not guilty” to the crime. He was a member of the 2018 USU football team as a red shirt sophomore.
